NJPW’s deal to air on AXS TV has officially ended, as confirmed by the network at the start of the new year.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has provided further details on the situation. NJPW chose not to negotiate for a new deal, and there are several factors behind this decision.
One of the key reasons appears to be the departure of Scott D’Amore, who was instrumental in brokering the partnership and maintaining good relations between NJPW and TNA Wrestling. Additionally, AXS TV, which had been paying to air NJPW content, is facing financial cutbacks by its parent company, Anthem. While the rights fee for NJPW’s programming on AXS was relatively low, viewership numbers had not been strong, which led to a sense of declining value for both parties.
NJPW, which is no longer collaborating as much with TNA, reportedly felt the need to pursue a better television deal elsewhere. While the financial aspect was a contributing factor, insiders also mentioned that NJPW was looking for a larger and more prominent network for exposure in the U.S.
At this time, there is no confirmed information on when or where NJPW will return to U.S. television, leaving fans curious about the future of the promotion’s presence in the American market.
Kurrgan was a recent guest on the “Stories With JBL and Brisco” podcast to discuss his time on the road with John Tenta, who he says was a good guy but had one hell of a temper. He said,
“John is a really good guy. He had a temper that was scary. We were in traffic, somewhere in South Carolina. Middle of the night, midnight or two in the morning. They were doing construction on the interstate. This car behind us, a bunch of kids, teenagers, they were driving and beeping the horn and giving us the finger. Don’t know why. We were like, ‘F**king kids.’”
He continued, “The traffic starts to move slowly, and their car starts to move beside us. John wanted to f**king kill them. He was driving. He put the window down and those kids put their window down, thinking we’re going to have a fight. John went Earthquake on them. ‘I’m going to tear your head off and s**t down your throat.’ Something like that. The kids put the window up and fucked off. They went the other way. They saw John and me next to him, two big guys, and went, ‘F**k this.’”
